In a new study, scientists have determined that a recent tear in Earth's continental crust near the sea is the largest single rip seen since satellite monitoring began.

For the past 30 million years the Arabian tectonic plate has been moving away from the African (Nubian) plate at the Red Sea.

But the rift, in which Earth's crust is being stretched and thinned, is not happening smoothly.

Most of the time the plates are stuck together. But in September of last year they split apart along a 37-mile (60-kilometer) section in Afar, Ethiopia (Ethiopia map), near the southern end of the Red Sea.

The scientist's observations may help to explain how Earth's plates split apart and how new crust forms.

The study suggests that the splitting is due to the injection of underground magma (molten rock) into the rift rather than earthquakes happening on tectonic faults.

"It is clear that the rise of molten rock through the plate is enabling the breakup of Africa and Arabia," said Tim Wright, an earth and environmental scientist at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom.

The nice thing about geological time is that the article is still likely to be current for the next million or so years. The Afar region is interesting because we can see what is happening as it’s not covered by miles of water.

Most of the time the plates are stuck together. But in September of last year they split apart along a 37-mile (60-kilometer) section in Afar, Ethiopia (Ethiopia map), near the southern end of the Red Sea. The scientist's observations may help to explain how Earth's plates split apart and how new crust forms.

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